Monday, August 29, 2011

When I saw this recipe in the current issue of Whole Living magazine, I was very intrigued. Quinoa is technically not a grain because it's not part of the grass family {it's a relative of chard, and spinach}...but, because of it's grain-like texture it's marketed as one. It seems I'm always hearing about how good it is for you, and I've had the good intention to use it more in my cooking...but, really don't all that often. It's very high in protein, making it an ideal breakfast choice for me, or my kids.
My guys are super oatmeal fans...during the winter months it's the breakfast of choice around here. I make a big batch of steel cut oats, then store it in the fridge to heat up during the week. That saves me from having to take the time daily to make it. You can use the same method with this quinoa hot cereal by multiplying the recipe. I had high hopes that they would like this. Unfortunately, they were not all that wild about it.
If their love of oatmeal was not so deeply ingrained, they may have. These kids won't even eat instant oatmeal because they've grown up eating the real stuff and think the processed version is "disgusting". So, getting them to like this was a long shot.
I, however, loved it. It was definitely much different than any hot cereal I've ever had, but I loved the texture and flavor. As the mornings begin to get cooler, I know I will be making more of it.
This recipe is very adaptable. You can substitute any fruit for the raspberries, blackberries and bananas I used here. I used 2% milk, but you can use whole, skim, soy, or almond milk too. Quinoa is low on the glycemic index...if that's important to you, you can use agave nectar, or stevia as the sweetener. I used maple syrup, but brown sugar would also be delish. If you like a bit of crunch in your hot cereal, chopped nuts would be great.

Breakfast Quinoa with Berries & Bananas

Adapted from Whole Living Magazine, September 2011Serves 1-2 {depending on your appetite}
Being a "grain" which contains loads of protein, Quinoa is very nutritious way to start your day. This recipe is very adaptable...you can use any fruit {apples, pears, apricots}, milk {whole, skim, soy}, or sweetener {agave, brown sugar, stevia} here. It would also be great with some chopped nuts on top!

Bring the milk and quinoa to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the quinoa is tender, and most of the milk has been absorbed {about 15 minutes}.
Remove from heat, and stir in the maple syrup and cinnamon. Serve topped with berries and banana slices.
Click here for the printable recipe.

Love your idea, I am on an all raw diet, but this sounded so good I had to try it. So I used hemp milk and decreased the amount by 1/2 cup placed the quinoa in a small oven proof bowl added the milk and the agave in the bowl then placed in in the dehydrator when I went to bed and got up this morning and I had a warm bowl of quinoa waiting for me. the whole thing took about 6 hours but it was SO VERY good this morning. Thanks for sharing